The present invention relates to modular therapeutic patient support systems. More particularly, this invention relates to therapeutic beds, therapeutic mattresses adaptable to varying types of surfaces, and modifications and controls which enable therapeutic bed frames to sequentially and independently accept various therapeutic supports depending upon a patient""s particular therapeutic needs.
The field of therapeutic patient supports has been well developed since at least the 1960s and 70s. While various kinds of therapeutic patient supports exist, inflatable therapeutic patient supports have, over time, become increasingly popular. These supports are more complex than a conventional medical therapeutic mattress as they require additional control systems to regulate the inflation of all or part of the mattress. Such early therapeutic beds were very expensive, requiring complicated control systems to be integrated within the dedicated bed frame supporting the inflatable surface. These systems, which still exist today, still require dedicated bed frames, and, to the extent practical, are restricted to patients requiring a high level of patient care, beyond that provided by a static, pressure relieving mattress.
Through the years, therapeutic patient support system purchasers, mostly health care providers, began demanding static pressure relieving mattress systems that were adapted for use with conventional bed frames, which did not require the uses of a dedicated frame, as do more complex systems referred to above. These conventional bed frames, as is well known in the art, generally have front or rear portions, and usually both, that may be raised, or lowered, as desired, commonly by means of patient remote controllable electric motors. As a consequence, the baseboards of such beds are articulable, and are divided into a plurality of independently moveable planar sections, most usually a head section, a body section, and a foot section. This allowed, and allows, a health care provider, such as a hospital, to use different therapeutic mattress system with the same bed frame. This also allowed bed frames to be moved among various services as patient census may dictate.
A typical example is the First Step Select(copyright) mattress system available from Applicant. This system provides an inflatable, low-air-loss patient support with multiple zones of pressure control, together with heater control and other features. A compact control unit that was adapted to be hung on the footboard of a standard hospital bed frame regulates all of these features. Such a system enables a conventional hospital bed to be equipped with a standard medical mattress for most patients, but when required a low air loss mattress could be installed instead, with the mattress control system mounted (or hung) upon the footboard of the bed. Other such mattress systems were also offered under the xe2x80x9cMRSxe2x80x9d (mattress replacement system) designation to replace the entire mattress.
Significant problems arise from placing controls on the bed footboard. This footboard is valuable space and typically is the preferred location for putting patient clipboards, and other frequently used devices. This allows them to be placed both close to the patient, and to be readily accessible to medical caregivers. Also, a patient care room is often cluttered. Having a protrusion beyond the preexisting footprint of the bed could lead to the controls, and the bed attached thereto being inadvertently jostled. This could lead to patient discomfort, or worse.
As is well known in the art, conventional medical bed frames, generally have front or rear portions that may be raised, or lowered, as desired, commonly by means of patient controllable electric motors. As a consequence, the baseboards, which support the mattress of such beds are articulable, and are divided into a plurality of independently moveable planar sections, including at least a head section, a body section, and a foot section. Further, the space beneath the baseboards is not empty.
Conventional medical bed frames typically use electrically driven mechanisms, such as jackscrews or worm gears for adjusting the elevation and inclination of the various portions of the bed. Most commonly this mechanism is centrally disposed on the underneath of the baseboards, and occupies some portion of the centerline portion of the space there defined, much like the well known transmission hump long found in rear wheel drive automobiles equipped with automatic transmissions. Fortunately, likely for mechanical reasons, this configuration is reasonably standard.
More recently, various other bed frames have been commercialized with a modularized approach, wherein the bed frame is adapted for a variety of mattress systems. The Total Care system, commercialized by Hill-Rom, Inc., of Batesville, Ind., is a typical example. That system is commercialized with a bed frame that is customized during manufacture to receive a variety of different surfaces. Particulars of this system may be better understood from the following U.S. Patents where are believed to be related to the Total Care System U.S. include U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,238 issued May 20, 1997, Weismiller et al, incorporated herein by this reference thereto.
To date, however there has been no patient support system which provides an inflatable pressure relieving patient support system which coacts with a conventional medical bed frame to provide a low air loss inflatable mattress which is contained within such a bed frame, which also has its control and power modules also located within the footprint of such a bed. It is towards meeting this need that the present invention is directed.
The present invention embodies an inflatable patient support, and a control and power system required for its operation, which fit within, beneath, and upon a conventional hospital bed frame, after the bed frame has been internally modified. The system operatively interacts with a bed frame, and comprises a modular control assembly, an inflatable mattress and various operative connections there between. In the preferred embodiment this is a conventional bed frame that, although modified to receive the modular control assembly may also support a wide variety of other mattresses as are typically employed within the medical environment.
Then, when a pressure-relieving surface is required, the foot end baseboard of the frame can be removed and replaced with the modular control assembly and mattress can be utilized with the system without the necessity of utilizing a blower control assembly that hangs on the footboard or is placed on the floor in the patient room.
An object of the present invention is to provide a means whereby a low air loss inflatable pressure-relieving mattress, and the power/control module thereof, may be installed upon and within the footprint of a conventional hospital bed.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a means whereby a low air loss inflatable pressure-relieving mattress, and the power/control module thereof, may be installed upon and within the footprint of a conventional hospital bed, wherein the controls are accessible to a caregiver of the user of the mattress.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a means whereby a low air loss inflatable pressure-relieving mattress, and the power/control module thereof, may be installed upon and within the footprint of a conventional hospital bed, by locating this module within space otherwise wasted in the cavity beneath the foot end baseboard of a conventional hospital bed.